(Auteur) Grassland degradation has accelerated in recent decades in response to increased climate variability and human activity. Rangeland and grassland conditions directly affect forage quality, livestock production, and regional grassland resources. In this study, we examined the potential of integrating synthetic aperture radar (SAR, Sentinel-1) and optical remote sensing (Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2) data to monitor the conditions of a native pasture and an introduced pasture in Oklahoma, USA. Leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass (AGB) were used as indicators of pasture conditions under varying climate and human activities. We estimated the seasonal dynamics of LAI and AGB using Sentinel-1 (S1), Landsat-8 (LC8), and Sentinel-2 (S2) data, both individually and integrally, applying three widely used algorithms: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Random Forest (RF). Results indicated that integration of LC8 and S2 data provided sufficient data to capture the seasonal dynamics of grasslands at a 10–30-m spatial resolution and improved assessments of critical phenology stages in both pluvial and dry years. The satellite-based LAI and AGB models developed from ground measurements in 2015 reasonably predicted the seasonal dynamics and spatial heterogeneity of LAI and AGB in 2016. By comparison, the integration of S1, LC8, and S2 has the potential to improve the estimation of LAI and AGB more than 30% relative to the performance of S1 at low vegetation cover (LAI 2 m2/m2, AGB > 500 g/m2). These results demonstrate the potential of combining S1, LC8, and S2 monitoring grazing tallgrass prairie to provide timely and accurate data for grassland management.

(Auteur) The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is a highly heterogeneous biome of global ecological significance with high levels of terrestrial carbon stocks and aboveground biomass (AGB). Accurate maps of AGB are required for monitoring, reporting, and modelling of forest resources and carbon stocks. Previous research has linked plot-level AGB with environmental and remotely sensed data using pixel-based approaches. However, few studies focused on investigating possible improvements via object-based image analysis (OBIA) including terrain related data to predict AGB in topographically variable and mountainous regions, such as Atlantic forest in Minas Gerais, Brazil. OBIA is expected to reduce known uncertainties related to the positional discrepancy between the image and field data and forest heterogeneity, while terrain derivatives are strong predictors in forest ecosystems driving forest biomass variability. In this research, we compare an object-based approach to a pixel-based method for modeling, mapping and quantifying AGB in the Rio Doce basin, within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. We trained a random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm using environmental, terrain, and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) remotely sensed imagery. We aimed to: (i) increase the precision of the AGB estimates; (ii) identify optimal variables that fit the best model, with the lowest root mean square error (RMSE, Mg/ha); (iii) produce an accurate map of the AGB for the study area, and subsequently (iv) describing the AGB spatial distribution as a function of the selected variables. The RF object-based model notably improved the AGB prediction by reducing the mean absolute error (MAE) from 28.64 to 20.95%, and RMSE from 33.43 to 20.08 Mg/ha, and increasing the R² (from 0.57 to 0.86) by using a combination of selected remote sensing, environmental, and terrain variables. Object-based modelling is a promising alternative to common pixel-based approaches to reduce AGB variability in topographically diverse and heterogeneous environments. Investigation of mapped outcomes revealed a decreasing AGB from west towards the east region of the Rio Doce Basin. Over the entire study area, we map a total of 195,799,533 Mg of AGB, ranging from 25.52 to 238 Mg/ha, following seasonal precipitation patterns and anthropogenic disturbance effects. This study provided reliable AGB estimates for the Rio Doce basin, one of the most important watercourses of the globally important Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In conclusion, we highlight that OBIA is a better solution to map forest AGB than the pixel-based traditional method, increasing the precision of AGB estimates in a heterogeneous and mountain tropical environment.

(Auteur) Context : Among European forest-forming tree species with high economic and ecological significance, Abies alba Mill. is the least characterized in terms of biomass production.
Aims : To provide a comprehensive set of tree- and stand-level models for A. alba biomass and carbon stock. We hypothesized that (among tree stand characteristics) volume will be the best predictor of tree stand biomass.
Methods : We studied a chronosequence of 12 A. alba tree stands in southern Poland (8–115 years old). We measured tree stand structures, and we destructively sampled aboveground biomass of 96 sample trees (0.0–63.9 cm diameter at breast height). We provided tree-level models, biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) and biomass models based on forest stand characteristics.
Results : We developed general and site-specific tree-level biomass models. For stand-level models, we found that the best predictor of biomass was stand volume, while the worst were stand basal area and density.
Conclusion : Our models performed better than other published models, allowing for more reliable biomass predictions. Models based on volume are useful in biomass predictions and may be used in large-scale inventories.

(Auteur) The knowledge of biomass stocks in tropical forests is critical for climate change and ecosystem services studies. This research was conducted in a tropical rain forest located near the city of Libreville (the capital of Gabon), in the Akanda Peninsula. The forest cover was stratified in terms of mature, secondary and mangrove forests using Landsat-ETM data. A field inventory was conducted to measure the required basic forest parameters and estimate the aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon over the different forest classes. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data were used in combination with ground-based GPS measurements to derive forest heights. Finally, the relationships between the estimated heights and AGB were established and validated. Highest biomass stocks were found in the mature stands (223 ± 37 MgC/ha), followed by the secondary forests (116 ± 17 MgC/ha) and finally the mangrove forests (36 ± 19 MgC/ha). Strong relationships were found between AGB and forest heights (R2 > 0.85).

(Auteur) This paper provides an overview of the scattering model, inversion approach, and validation of the application results for creating large-scale moderate-resolution (hectare-level) mosaics of forest height through using spaceborne repeat-pass SAR interferometry and lidar. By incorporating several improvements to the forest height inversion and mosaicking approach, the height estimation accuracy along with the robustness of this approach have been considerably enhanced from its originally reported accuracy of RMSE of 3-4 m at a 20-hectare aggregated pixel size to RMSE of 3-4 m on the order of 3-6 hectares. Furthermore, practical data processing schemes are provided in detail. Extensive validation results are demonstrated which include: 1) a forest height mosaic (total area of 11.6 million hectares) is generated for the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire using Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) ALOS-1 InSAR correlation data and a small airborne lidar strip (44 000 hectares); 2) the mosaic height estimates are further compared with the available airborne lidar data and field measurements over both flat and mountainous areas; and 3) feasibility of using modern repeat-pass InSAR satellites with short repeat interval is also examined by using JAXA's ALOS-2 data. This simple and efficient approach is a potential observational prototype with much smaller error budget for the future spaceborne repeat-pass L-band InSAR systems with small spatial baseline and moderate/large temporal baseline (such as NISAR) in combination with lidar (such as GEDI) on the application of large-scale forest height/biomass mapping. It also serves as a complementary tool to the spaceborne single-pass InSAR systems using InSAR/PolInSAR methods when full-pol data are not available and/or when the underlying topography slope causes problems for these approaches.